4/28/2006

Bill Kristol is a major player in the group called "Project for a New American Century" (PNAC), which envisioned America attacking the Middle East since the mid-90's. He was interviewed by Steven Colbert:

COLBERT: Speaking of thinking alike, you were a member, or are a member of the Project for a New American Century, correct?KRISTOL: I amCOLBERT: Were or am?KRISTOL: Were and am.COLBERT: How’s that Project coming?KRISTOL: Well it’s…COLBERT: How’s the New American Century? Looks good to me, right?KRISTOL: I think it, I…I’m speechless.COLBERT: Really?KRISTOL: Yeah, we’ve sort of, the Project for a New American Century, we’re one of the few people…COLBERT: Come on, it’s a terrific New American Century, right?KRISTOL: Well, I think we’re doing ok.COLBERT: You, Rummy, Wolfowitz, Cheney, Pearle, Feith, all you guys, right?KRISTOL: Well, we fought back after 9/11 and I’m proud of what we’ve done in Afghanistan and in Iraq, yes.COLBERT: Well, this is pre-9/11, you guys had the Project in the 90s?KRISTOL: Absolutely, and we thought we should have been fighting back more in the 90s.COLBERT: Right, we should have invaded Iraq, you know, then you said.KRISTOL: We should have, actually.COLBERT: Exactly.KRISTOL: If we had finished the job in 1991 it would have been a lot easier.COLBERT: A lot of people are bailing on this whole Iraq war idea. But you’re not, right?KRISTOL: Correct.COLBERT: You’re still onboard?KRISTOL: I am onboard.COLBERT: The grand experiment?KRISTOL: No, it’s not a grand experiment.COLBERT: It’s not? It’s a little experiment?KRISTOL: No, it’s an unfortunate necessity that you cannot allow dictators to kill their own people and you cannot allow dictators to threaten their neighbors.COLBERT: Which dictator do we take down next?KRISTOL: Well, I wish we could take down more, actually. You know, it’d be nice to…COLBERT: Wait a second, we cannot allow dictators to kill their own people. That’s a very simple statement sir, which I support wholeheartedly. Back it up!KRISTOL: I’m with you.COLBERT: Who do we go after next? Iran? Come on!KRISTOL: I think we may have to take military action against…COLBERT: Let’s get some boots on the ground, sir!KRISTOL: I wish…we may have to do that. We have to do that in the Sudan.COLBERT: Is the military option on the table in Iran?KRISTOL: Absolutely, absolutely. And in Sudan.COLBERT: Ok. How about the nuclear option in Iran?KRISTOL: No, no.COLBERT: Come on!KRISTOL: No, I differ with you on this.COLBERT: The President says…KRISTOL: You’re a tougher guy than I am on this.COLBERT: I’m a neo-neocon. You guys aren’t tough for me.KRISTOL: I’m an anti-nuke neocon and you’re a pro-nuke neocon.